The best movies on Netflix UK in February 2019

We round up all of the best films you can watch right now on UK Netflix, from superhero staples to insightful indies. The Netflix film lineup changes regularly, so check here for monthly updates on the top films on British Netflix

Wondering what to watch next on Netflix? Here, we bring you a list of the best films on Netflix UK right now, ranging from action and adventure to thrillers and documentaries. There are so many good films on Netflix, but sometimes it can be too much choice and it's really tricky to search through so we've sifted through the lot to come up with the ultimate list of movies that we think you'll enjoy.

This list is updated every month, but movies are changing on Netflix every day. That might mean that one or two of these movies are no longer available to watch by the time you come to read this article, and some good new films may have emerged. Let us know in the comments section below if your favourite movie is available on Netflix but not included here and we'll endeavour to add it very soon.

Let's get down to business then. Here are the best movies to watch on Netflix in the UK right now.

Fargo

The Coen Brothers’ classic black comedy recently inspired an anthology TV show of the same name (also on Netflix, as it happens), and it remains one of their best. The plot - a desperate car salesman hires two criminals to kidnap and ransom his own wife - is great, but it’s the none-more-quaint Minnesota setting that makes Fargo utterly unique.

Annie Hall

There are plenty of Woody Allen films on Netflix right now, but Annie Hall is almost certainly his best - and makes a brilliant introduction to his work if you’re new to it. It’s a wall-to-wall barrage of jokes, from high-brow philosophical references to low-brow slapstick and sex jokes, but behind it all there’s some genuine insight into modern relationships.

From Dusk Till Dawn

Written by (and co-starring) Quentin Tarantino and directed by Robert Rodriguez, From Dusk Till Dawn was always going to be a bit nuts. There are vampire strippers, a penis pistol, and holy water guns, and that’s barely scratching the surface. The only part we can’t quite get our heads around is buying that Tarantino and George Clooney are brothers.

Pumping Iron

Setting aside the excellent Making a Murderer series, Netflix generally punches below its weight when it comes to documentaries. It may not look like it, but Pumping Iron is a notable exception, following a pre-fame Arnold Schwarzenegger as he trains for the 1975 Mr. Olympia and Mr. Universe bodybuilding competitions. It’s a great look into a weird sport, and an amazingly candid insight into the actor before he learnt to manage his public image.

Beasts of No Nation

Netflix’s first original film may boast Idris Elba in its cast, but great as he is, he’s not the real star here. That honour belongs to Abraham Attah, the Ghanaian teenager who makes his acting debut here as a young boy dragged into service as a child soldier in a vicious civil war. Unsurprisingly it’s pretty troubling stuff, but it’s undeniably powerful and difficult to forget.

Under the Shadow

Set in Tehran during the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s, this Persian-language is that rarest of things: a horror movie that feels genuinely new. That's in part thanks to the relatively novel monster (the shadowy Djinn), partly the setting, and partly the brilliant central performance from Narges Rashidi. It also manages the neat trick of being totally terrifying while shedding hardly a single drop of blood.

La La Land

This almost-Best Picture winner may not have taken home Best Picture but that doesn't mean it isn't fantastic. A modern musical with an eye firmly towards the past, La La Land may be driven largely by nostalgia, but it's also refreshingly modern in its attitudes to romance and love - right up to the bittersweet ending.

Whiplash

If you liked La La Land, you might want to check out director Damien Chazelle's previous effort, the incomparable Whiplash. Set in a prestigious New York music school, it's probably the only film that's turned a music teacher into something close to a horror monster. JK Simmons is a nightmare as the demanding band leader who brings his students to breaking point in the pursuit of perfection, all building to the finest closing act of any film in recent memory.

Misery

This slightly lesser known Stephen King adaptation sees a novelist caught in a car accident and left in the tender care of his biggest fan - who may have more serious ambitions than merely nursing him back to health. Unbearably tense and anchored by great performances from James Caan and Kathy Bates, this is a great reminder that King has never needed a killer clown to scare the life out of us.

The World's End

Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz may tend to get all the hype, but for our money Cornetto Trilogy closer The World's End doesn't get the love it deserves. The jokes are less obvious in this tale of a group of former school friends who reunite for one last pub crawl (during the end of the world, naturally) but there's more heart here than in either of Edgar Wright's other collaborations with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and the visual references and snappy editing are the best of his career.

Annihilation

This smart sci-fi film from director Alex Garland (of the also excellent Ex Machina) got a cinema release in the US, but went straight to Netflix here in the UK. Don't take that as a bad sign though: it's not that Annihilation is bad, but simply that studio Paramount worried its mix of trippy visuals, dark horror, and loose plot wouldn't convert to big box office returns. This isn't an easy watch, but trust us, it's worth it.

Oblivion

There are a few great reasons to watch Oblivion. There are the central performances from the likes of Tom Cruise and Andrea Riseborough. The phenomenal electronic score from French band M83. But most of all, there's the frequently stunning design work, with director Joseph Kosinski showing off the aesthetic flair that earned him the director's seat on both Tron: Legacy and the upcoming Top Gun sequel.

Carrie

This early Stephen King adaptation is still held up as one of the best - and most traumatic - horror movies of all time. Brian De Palma expertly frames Carrie's telekinetic powers through the lens of puberty, and Piper Laurie's religious mother figure is one of the all-time great movie monsters, despite not having a single supernatural power of her own.

Monty Python's Life of Brian

This Monty Python classic re-tells the story of Jesus of Nazareth from the perspective of Brian - who's not the Messiah, just a very naughty boy. As silly as it is satirical, the film pokes fun at religious and historical figures alike in that special, surreal way that only the best of Monty Python ever could.

Personal Shopper

Personal Shopper is a difficult film to pin down. This dreamy drama from Olivier Assayas flits between ghost story, thriller, and mundane slice of life. Kristen Stewart's titular personal shopper travels between European capitals collecting clothes and jewelry for her celebrity employer until she starts receiving strange text messages - which she believes come from her late brother. The film is mesmerisingly opaque, but Stewart gives a career-best performance that's more than enough reason to give it a watch.

The Cabin in the Woods

A young Chris Hemsworth stars in this ingenious horror comedy from the mind of Joss Whedon, which gleefully subverts every trope in the genre. Five teenagers go on a trip to an isolated cabin the woods, creepiness ensues, but nothing is at all as it seems. This is a love letter to the horror genre that will work best if you've seen the films it references, but is strong (and scary, and funny) enough to stand up in its own right.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

This classic Clint Eastwood western is the highlight of his series of collaborations with director Sergio Leone, a sprawling story that's beautifully shot and propulsively acted. Worth watching even if you're not normally a western fan - and when you're done, go back and watch A Fisftul of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More, the preceding films in this (loose) trilogy.

Pacific Rim

Guillermo Del Toro's ode to giant monster mayhem, Pacific Rim is a big, dumb action movie executed to perfection. There's a touching emotional undercurrent, but beyond that this is a film that knows exactly what it needs to deliver: giant monsters fighting giant robots. And trust us, it delivers.

Fyre

This Netflix original documentary follows the horrendous production woes - and post-production arrests - that dogged Fyre Festival, here dubbed the greatest party that never happened. From co-founder Ja Rule to a pilot who taught himself on Microsoft Flight Simulator, this is a tour de force of incompetence.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

This Western anthology from the Coen Brothers tells six distinct, unconnected stories in the old West. Don't look out for character connections - there aren't any - but instead follow the ebb and flow of theme, as the directors explore mortality, kindness, and the futility of existence across these utterly distinct, utterly memorable tales.